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The President's announcement on November 10 to delay a decision on the
Keystone XL pipeline until a new environmental impact report is
conducted is the right decision. The pipeline is a bad idea on so many
levels. As a businessman who grew up near the Ogallala aquifer, I care
deeply about jobs and the economy, our natural environment and the
long-term energy future of our country. At first, one might assume that
the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline might help with all of these
issues. But looking more closely, it becomes clear that "KXL" is a dirty
and dangerous step backward.

First, let's talk about jobs.

As a longtime businessman in Houston, I feel I know a thing or two about
job creation, infrastructure investment and profitability. On
business-case grounds alone, it's clear that without significant
governmental subsidies, and without calling on taxpayers to foot the
bills for spills, land and water contamination, and medical fees, the
project would prove financially untenable. And while the American
Petroleum Institute and TransCanada say the pipeline will create 20,000
direct jobs in the United States, the latest report by Cornell's Global
Labor Institute demonstrates that that job figure is greatly inflated.
Moreover, the report shows how the project can actually be a job killer
because it will raise fuel prices in Midwestern states.

How much attention is that analysis receiving very little compared to
the TransCanada states, which are repeated endlessly in ads.

Let's talk about energy security.

Everyone agrees that our energy future is a top concern. At first you
might think that oil from Canada - even dirty oil like that derived from
the Alberta tar sands - would be a boon to U.S. energy security. But it
turns out that this pipeline is meant to serve an export market in the
gulf. One of the primary buyers of KXL crude would be Valero, which told
its investors that its business plan relies on expanding the export of
diesel to Europe and South America.

Let's talk about the environment.

It's my practice to consider how business and environmental needs can
work together. That practice is at the heart of my architectural firm.
As a boy who grew up near the Ogallala aquifer, I value our
environmental heritage and understand its importance. As a businessman,
I know some risks just aren't worth alleged gains - and this is one of
them. If the Keystone XL has a major burst, we don't have a second
aquifer to serve the millions of Americans who rely on the Ogalla for
drinking water and irrigation. Haven't we experienced enough devastating
oil spills?

Let's talk about landowner rights.

In order to route this pipeline, TransCanada needs to be given the power
of eminent domain. In other words, the Texas government has to decide
that the pipeline is for the common good of Texans and the company
deserves to be able to force private landowners to sign easements or
face condemnation proceedings. Yet the benefits of KXL accrue mainly to
TransCanada and a few refinery companies. As we've seen, it doesn't
create more than a few thousand temporary jobs, doesn't enhance our
energy security, and threatens our water.

Finally, let's talk about our future.

It's increasingly clear we need to act on what businesses committed to
environmental sustainability, scientists, civil society, and the planet
are telling us about our energy future. Now is the time to switch
investment strategy from fossil fuels to the development of clean,
renewable energy. As the American Sustainable Business Council and
others have shown, the U.S. economy is better supported by strong
investment in renewable energy than by continuing to support our
dependence on fossil fuels. Construction of the Keystone XL pipeline
will only set us back further on the road to the clean energy future we
and future generations need. So when it comes to evaluating the KXL, I'm
going to side with real job creation, the environment and our grandkids
- and give the KXL a big thumbs-down.
------------------------------------------------------Williams is CEO and Founder of Environment Associates, a green
architectural firm based in Houston. Environment Associates is a member
of Green America, an organization that uses marketplace strategies to
create an economy that works for people and the planet.

Your Opinions and Comments

The following is from the Texas Farm Bureau blog:
U.S. energy policy is blind, deaf and really dumb
By Gene Hall
The Obama Administration’s decision to delay a decision on the Canada to Texas Keystone XL pipeline is ... More ›

The following is from the Texas Farm Bureau blog:
U.S. energy policy is blind, deaf and really dumb
By Gene Hall
The Obama Administration’s decision to delay a decision on the Canada to Texas Keystone XL pipeline is another of those head scratching decisions. The president has deferred a verdict, ostensibly to study environmental impact and other factors. But it’s no accident that the final decision will be made after next year’s presidential elections.
The leftward edges of the environmental movement have won for now. There’s been caterwauling about the environmental impact, mostly because the XL will transect ground that lies above the Ogallala Aquifer. That underground ocean of fresh water is important all right, but the XL would not be the first fossil fuel pipeline to cross it. From what I’ve been able to determine, the risk is minimal.
Agriculture cares about this from both sides. The Ogallala is lifeblood to Texas agriculture and farmers from other states. It’s the primary source of irrigation water on the U.S. High Plains, much of which lies in Texas. So I don’t take any threat to it lightly. The flip side is the cost of energy and agricultural inputs made from fossil fuels. We’ve been through two periods of $5 per gallon diesel fuel in the last four years, fertilizer that farmers couldn’t afford to put on the fields and other high priced petroleum adventures. We need to do this, but we need to get it right.
Some in the farm and ranch community will object to the pipeline crossing private property. This will undoubtedly happen, but we’ve beefed up our eminent domain laws in Texas for cases just such as this. Property owners must be treated fairly.
What would really be dumb is to let an extremely vocal minority of green enthusiasts torpedo U.S. energy policy. If it has to do with oil, they don’t like it. I read a piece last week that called the delay a victory for “climate change policy.” Come again? Canada has opened negotiations with China and perhaps other parts of Asia to buy the oil. The Chinese--correct me if I’m wrong--plan to refine and burn that oil to fuel their growing economy. Our loss is their gain. Every drop of fossil fuel brought forth from the oil is destined to be burned. Why not here, where it would benefit the U.S. economy, create thousands of jobs and hopefully moderate fuel prices?
Considering that the XL oil will be burned somewhere on the planet, the net gain for positive impact on climate change is … let me see now…zero.
The whole of the American population is getting greener. Agriculture is doing its part with conservation and other advances. Biofuels are starting to transition from corn ethanol to other sources. Wind turbines generate electricity across wide swaths of Texas and the Southwest. Most people, including me, have picked up green habits. The nation is better for it.
There is, however, an element of the green movement that wants to curtail fossil fuel energy and many in Washington are listening to them: green good, oil bad. But, as usual, it’s not that simple.
The much discussed green energy economy may happen eventually, but we’re not yet ready for it. The technology is simply not there. In the meantime, why not promote the responsible use of petroleum while we develop green energy resources. The decision to delay Keystone XL is big mistake. This is not a “laser-like focus on jobs.” This is economic folly. Somewhere, Asian policy makers are shaking their head in disbelief at their good fortune.
Visit the Texas Farm Bureau website at www.txfb.org .
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